Ball-point pens come in a variety of types, shapes and sizes and range in cost from as little as a few cents to several hundred dollars. The present invention relates to an inexpensive ball-point pen.
Relatively low cost ball-point pens can be found in both the retractable type, in which the writing tip extends from and retracts into a barrel, for example, by pressing in a push button at the head end of the barrel or by rotating one portion of the barrel relative to another portion, and the fixed type, some of which have removable caps, in which the writing tip is permanently fastened to the barrel. Generally, the retractable types are somewhat more costly to produce and, therefore, more expensive than the fixed types. The retractable types are generally preferable from the point of view of being transportable in a pocket or purse; the detachable caps of ball-point pens tend to get lost. Moreover, the barrel of a pen with a detachable cap can easily become detached from the cap when the pen is carried in a pocket or purse, in which case a shirt can be ruined or items in a pocketbook or coat pocket defaced.
Ball-point pens, and for that matter all writing instruments, are not particularly convenient to carry, but most people like to carry a pen anyway. When clipped to a shirt pocket or coat pocket, a pen can poke or press against the wearer from time to time. Some pockets are not deep enough to fully accept the pen. There is often not enough room in small compartments of purses or in small change purses to receive the conventional ball-point pen.